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Africa summit to assess Zimbabwe Zuma in Zimbabwe power-share plea
(about 9 hours later)
African leaders are due to discuss political progress in Zimbabwe at a summit of southern Africa's regional body, Sadc. South African President Jacob Zuma has asked Zimbabwe's political parties to remove any obstacles to implementing their political agreement.
The meeting in the Democratic Republic of Congo is expected to highlight economic improvements in Zimbabwe since the formation of a unity government. He was speaking at a two-day meeting of Sadc, the southern African regional organisation, in DR Congo.
But correspondents say Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is likely to call for a timetable for more reforms. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai formed the power-sharing cabinet in February.
Western sanctions against Zimbabwe will also be discussed at the two-day talks. It was an attempt to end the political crisis after 2008's disputed elections.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai formed the power-sharing cabinet in February in an attempt to end a political crisis that followed last year's disputed elections. Mr Zuma told the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) meeting in Kinshasa that "significant progress" had been made by Zimbabwe's coalition government.
Zimbabwe report But he added: "We urge all parties to remove any obstacles to the implementation of the agreement."
Mr Mugabe is expected to push for the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) to campaign for the lifting of the sanctions against Zimbabwe, the BBC's Karen Allen reports from the capital of DR Congo, Kinshasa. The BBC's Karen Allen in Kinshasa says Mr Zuma has promised to be more vocal in his criticism, but there is little to suggest a hardening of his stance.
Meanwhile, Mr Tsvangirai will be looking for benchmarks and a clear timetable to deliver on outstanding promises, including political reforms, our correspondent says. Zimbabwe was one of several items on the agenda at Monday's regional bloc summit, along with climate change and Madagascar.
In particular, he is expected to draw attention on what his Movement for Democratic Change party claims are continuing human-rights abuses, controversial key appointments and farm evictions, our correspondent adds. Sadc has now agreed to hold a separate meeting about Zimbabwe in the coming weeks, possibly in Mozambique.
In Kinshasa, South African President Jacob Zuma, who currently chairs Sadc, will deliver his report on Zimbabwe. Our correspondent says the MDC is concerned about the pace of political reform, alleged human rights abuses and appointments of key positions in the legal system and central bank.
He has promised to be more vocal in his criticism. She also says Mr Mugabe wants Sadc to campaign for the lifting of economic sanctions against Zimbabwe.
But there has been little in his public statements to suggest a hardening of his stance, following talks with principle Zimbabwean players in Harare last week, our correspondent says.